UFC star Michael Chandler has explained why he isn’t actively pursuing a fight against Conor McGregor.

Whether you’re fighting at welterweight, lightweight or even featherweight in the UFC, there’s one man above all others that stands out as the perfect opponent: Conor McGregor.

Sure, the majority of fighters want to get to the top of the mountain and win a title, but the financial allure of facing someone like McGregor is often too good to turn down.

The 34-year-old is easily the biggest star in mixed martial arts and arguably one of the biggest names in all of sports, with the desire to fight him still being as strong now as it was during his prime.

Someone who has been linked with a clash against ‘Notorious’ in the past is none other than lightweight sensation Michael Chandler.

‘Iron Mike’ understands the value in fighting someone like Conor but during a recent interview, the former Bellator champion spoke candidly about why it’s difficult to pursue such an idea.

"If there was a guaranteed, 'Hey, this fight is definitely happening', I woud have no problem waiting a couple of extra months, into January, February, even March of next year. But this is the sport of mixed martial arts. A lot changes every single day and you're also talking about the biggest combat sports icon on the planet. 

“There's rumors out there of him fighting Floyd Mayweather, there's rumors of him never coming back, there's rumors of him coming back by the end of the year. We don't know when Conor's coming back. So with that amount of uncertainity it would be really, I think, foolish to hitch your wagon to that fight itself."

When will Chandler return?

Following on from his incredible knockout win over Tony Ferguson earlier this year, Michael Chandler looks set to get back into the Octagon at UFC 281 in November.

In one of the featured bouts on that Madison Square Garden card, Chandler will lock horns with rival Dustin Poirier as they attempt to settle their differences following a feud that’s been ongoing for a couple of months now.